In my view, the primary purpose of adult education is to assist humanity by developing activities designed to alter knowledge, skills and attitudes in people or society. I believe humans can learn in any situation. If you are alive, you are always learning, and education has no age limit. Education’s role in civilization is to empower people to contribute to a better society. Education can develop critical thinking skills, facilitate changes in perceptions, prepare adults for a career, provide a better quality of life, enhance personal growth, and open channels of discovery through the interconnectivity of a global community.
The Value of Life Experiences in Adult Learning
In our lifespan, we collect a wealth of knowledge and life experiences that can be either positive or negative. These experiences provide connections between old data and new learning. I think it is important to appreciate and respect this experience and recognize its value. For this reason, life experiences are critical to learning. Existing knowledge applied in new situations is a powerful and relevant learning experience. Building on adults’ past life experiences, I feel that adults learn better when knowledge and learning are co-created and constructed in a social context. When adults share their experiences, they can build upon their beliefs and ideas through collaborative learning. Discussion forums, structured projects, and group work can enable adults to exchange ideas and develop new shared meanings. For this to work, everyone must be treated equally and respectfully in the learning process.
Relevance and Ownership in Adult Learning
Another belief I have towards adult learning is that adults learn when activities are relevant to them. When the knowledge, skill or material is significant to me and my life, I engage with the learning. It needs to help me achieve my goals and meet my needs to make the learning process valuable. Before any training or learning, I must understand why I am learning with a set of defined goals and objectives. It gives me the opportunity to choose freely what kind of knowledge I want to acquire. I find experiential learning, although the most stressful for me, is how I effectively learn the most. Learning by doing allows me to be engaged with the content, make practical use of the knowledge and actively apply what I learned. With experiential learning comes failure, which is critical to learning. When I try something, I don’t get it right away. I fail often and it is in the failing that I truly learn. To learn from my mistakes, I must reflect on them and work to find better ways.
I believe it is imperative to give learners the freedom to choose their learning experience. An example is the development of a learning contract which outlines the learning intents, strategies for learning and the evidence of what we are responsible for in our learning. Being responsible for our learning and taking ownership of the learning process allows learners to use their voices. It also helps structure their ideas and will enable learners to engage in authentic learning opportunities that support their concepts and passions. In my mind, the educator is a facilitator of this process and provides a safe, welcoming learning environment to allow this to happen. This environment includes developing a culture of respect, empathy and openness.
Education and Social Change
The role education has in civilization is to empower people to contribute to a better society. Empowering people with knowledge, skills and motivation to improve their environment and economic conditions is a transformational approach to community change. I believe the relationship between social change and education creates self-reliant and interdependent citizens that support social change. Education is used as a catalyst to influence a change in perceptions, beliefs and outdated modes of thinking. Once a system is identified to change, developing a purposeful, well-organized learning strategy that strives to work toward a common goal helps groups create change, resist change, or provide a political voice. The first step in providing the environment for change is to identify a problem through the lens of people’s experiences. Once identified, groups of people assemble to reflect and analyze the situation to develop an action plan for change. An adult educator helps facilitate this process by being an empathetic collaborator and fostering long-term strategies and solutions.
Furthermore, an educator facilitates social change by supporting learners in creating an environment that transforms personal thoughts, attitudes, and values. This transformational change expands the mind and provides the essential ingredients for social change. Education prepares people for social change, and an educator is an active tool in bringing about the desired change in learners. With the help of education, learners realize their full capacities and aspirations and learn to mobilize for development and change.
I believe that education can create a society by providing resources that emphasize equal opportunities and empower all people to confidently participate in the world. Educators and learners are working together to create a space for learning. It is a participatory process where a culture of learning is fostered in a creative, collective setting. This setting connects learners to other people’s experiences as they become a part of a supportive community that learns from and with one another. A learning culture provides freedom to think, opportunities to make mistakes that are a productive aspect of the learning process and critical reflection to transform meaning-making.